Senior Regional Safety and Wellbeing Advisor

About us

The Queensland Fire Department (QFD) provides fire prevention preparedness and response services to fire in the built and landscape environments as well as scientific and specialist capabilities to Queensland communities. The QFD provides a multi-hazard emergency response including road crash rescue bushfire hazardous material technical and vertical rescue severe weather incidents remote and swiftwater rescue and provides a number of functions supporting community safety outcomes.

The department encompasses Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFR) Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) as well as the broader department which work together to pre-empt prevent mitigate and manage the consequences of fires and other emergencies on Queensland communities and support our large volunteer membership across the state.

The QFD is an organisation that is committed to reframing the departments relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples communities and organisations through activities identified in the QFD Reframing the Relationship Plan contributing to Closing the Gap outcomes and building our cultural capability.

Purpose of the role

The department is committed to improving the health safety and wellbeing of its people as an integral part of its everyday activities. The wellbeing of QFD workforce contractors visitors and members of the public is a priority in its efforts to achieve a healthy and safe work environment. The Health and Wellbeing team promotes the need for healthy safe and well workplaces and is responsible for implementing policies procedures and guidelines conducting risk assessments inspections investigations and audits including case managing injured and ill workers. As a key priority the team provides expert advice and support to QFD staff volunteers and others within our workplaces across the regions or corporate services to meet their obligations through preventing preparing for responding to and supporting recovery from the impact of fire and emergency events.

Reporting to the Manager you will provide high-level technical advice and strategic support to regional and/or state managers staff and volunteers and take a lead role in coaching and developing managers in their effective management of health and safety wellbeing illnesses and injuries in building capability across the department in these areas. You will work closely with key stakeholders to identify and manage risks to health and safety prevent injuries and dangerous situations through proactive strategies and initiatives providing support to those who are ill or injured and delivering services such as monitoring the departments legislative compliance and contributing to the development of policies and procedures promoting best practice guidelines in accordance with legislation and departmental policies.

Key requirements

Highly desirable requirements

• Holds a current Certificate IV in Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) qualification or can obtain the qualification within a mutually agreed timeframe.
• Holds a current Rehabilitation and Return to Work (RTW) Coordinator certification or can obtain the skill within a mutually agreed timeframe.
• Experience and/or qualifications in work health and safety investigation.

Your key accountabilities

Your part in the ongoing success of our department in supporting frontline services will see you responsible for a variety of work including but not limited to:

• Coordinate facilitate and manage a broad range of complex health safety and wellbeing activities including coaching educating stakeholder groups and the delivery of relevant training programs to promote health safety and wellbeing initiatives and strategies in the workplace
• Provide specialist advice to managers staff and volunteers on a range of health safety and wellbeing and injury management issues and ensure compliance with organisational priorities policy processes and legislation and positive outcomes are achieved.
• Manage occupational rehabilitation end to end services and case management to clients with a range of conditions both physical and psychological providing expert confidential return to work advice and case management services in accordance with best practice.
• Manage the life of the claim to ensure injury claims are progressed as expected for the condition and reaching milestones including to create and provide employer responses to insurer/s for determination of claims and management of wage payments for injured workers.
• Maintain influential and consultative partnerships with senior management within QFD other government agencies consumers private sector non-government organisations and industry to support safety improvements and influence the departments safety culture.
• Monitor and analyse trends in injuries illness and occurrences across the department reviewing WHS investigations and preparation of detailed reports for key stakeholders with recommendations for managing identified staff safety and wellbeing issues.
• Collaborates with treating medical practitioners and allied health professionals for safest RTW and create suitable duties plans taking into account reasonable adjustments via collaboration with supervisors and workers to ensure successful.
• Oversee and/or undertake WHS incidents and investigations site inspections audits inductions wellbeing programs and meetings to ensure resolution of issues and incident and hazard management (hazardous chemicals and PPE) and continuous improvement initiatives is achieved to ensure a healthy and safe work environment.

Capabilities

To determine your suitability for the role you will be assessed on the following Leadership Competencies for Queensland behavioural profiles that link to what we are looking for in this role:

Leadership Competency Stream Individual Contributor (leading self)

Vision

• Leads change in complex environments
• Makes insightful decisions

Results

• Builds enduring relationships
• Drives accountability and outcomes

Accountability

• Fosters healthy and inclusive workplaces
• Demonstrates soundgovernance

Once you join us we will want you to exemplify the QFD shared values of:

• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Courage
• Loyalty